The present invention relates to flag holders, and provides a device for holding a flag without damaging the fabric. The device of the present invention also makes it possible to display the flag in a variety of orientations.
It is common to display a flag or banner from a pole attached to a window sill or wall. Such flags may be a national flag, typically displayed on a national holiday, or they may include banners relating to other subjects. The invention can also be used with purely decorative flags or banners.
Many homeowners attach a bracket to a window sill or wall, the bracket defining a generally cylindrical channel which receives a pole that supports a flag or banner. The pole, when inserted into the bracket, usually extends at an angle of about 45xc2x0 relative to the horizontal, with the flag hanging down from the end of the pole.
A major problem with the arrangement described above arises from the attachment of the flag or banner to the pole. In the prior art, it has been considered necessary to use fasteners such as nails, or the like, to affix the flag to the end of the pole. The use of nails requires that the fabric of the flag be punctured. Thus, in the prior art, a flag that is suspended from the above-described pole will be damaged, at least to a small degree, by the act of attaching it to the pole. Each time the flag is attached and removed from the pole, its fabric will suffers some more deterioration. Repeated attachment of a flag to a pole, using conventional nails, will eventually damage the fabric significantly.
The present invention provides a flag holder which solves the above problems. The unique structure of the flag holder described below entirely avoids the use of nails in mounting a flag or banner, and thus preserves the integrity of the fabric. The flag holder of the present invention allows the flag to be displayed in different orientations, and tends to prevent the flag from wrapping around its support.
The flag holder of the present invention comprises three components, namely a dowel, a sleeve, and a support pole. The size of the dowel is chosen such that the dowel will fit within a channel formed along an edge of the flag by folding part of the fabric over itself. The sleeve fits over the flag and the dowel. The sleeve has the general shape of a cylinder, but it has a slit which allows the flag to pass through the slit so that the flag can hang freely from the dowel. The sleeve also is, in general, shorter than the dowel. The sleeve includes a side wall having a threaded opening. The support pole has a threaded end which screws into the threaded opening. When the support pole is screwed into the sleeve, the end of the pole abuts the flag, and holds the flag firmly between the end of the pole and the dowel. Thus, the flag is firmly anchored by the constant pressure of the support pole.
The process of attaching the flag to the pole is as follows. First, the dowel is inserted into the channel located along the edge of the flag. Next, the sleeve is fitted over the dowel and the flag, such that the flag passes through the slit in the sleeve. The sleeve is preferably positioned at or near the center of the dowel. Then the support pole is screwed into the sleeve, until the pole abuts the flag with sufficient pressure to prevent the flag from moving. The pole can then be inserted into a conventional bracket or holder. In this process, the flag is never punctured, and is therefore not damaged when it is attached to the pole.
The present invention therefore has the primary object of providing a flag holder.
The invention has the further object of preventing damage to flags or banners when they are suspended from a holder.
The invention has the further object of providing a flag holder which does not puncture the flag.
The invention has the further object of eliminating the use of nails, or other puncturing fasteners, in mounting a flag to a flag holder.
The invention has the further object of providing a device for holding a flag in alternative orientations.
The invention has the further object of reducing the tendency of a flag to become wrapped around its support.
The invention has the further object of providing a flag holder which is simple to use, and which can be easily stored in a disassembled condition when not in use.
The invention has the further object of providing a method of attaching a flag to a support pole.
The reader skilled in the art will recognize other objects and advantages of the present invention, from a reading of the following brief description of the drawings, the detailed description of the invention, and the appended claims.